The Journal of Frailty & Aging · Oct 17, 2026

Frailty in relation to general and oral health-related quality of life among older adults in municipal acute care

By Roa Santervas L, Skovlund E, Ringstad IB et al.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is associated with poorer health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in older adults, but studies rarely assess general and oral HRQoL concurrently in acute care populations. OBJECTIVES: To examine the associations between frailty and general as well as oral HRQoL among older adults admitted to a municipal in-patient acute care (MipAC) unit. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Oslo MipAC unit, Norway. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 382 patients aged 70 years or older admitted to the MipAC unit between January and September 2023. MEASUREMENTS: Frailty was assessed using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). General HRQoL was measured with the 15D instrument and a single-item global life satisfaction question. Oral HRQoL was assessed using the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP 14). Associations between frailty and HRQoL were analyzed using linear, ordinal logistic, and binary logistic regression. Exploratory analyses of 15D and OHIP-14 dimensions were performed using non-parametric trend tests. RESULTS: Increasing frailty was significantly associated with lower 15D scores (adjusted B -0.053, 95% CI -0.061 to -0.045), higher odds of lower life satisfaction (adjusted OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.39), and higher odds of reporting oral health impacts on the OHIP-14 (adjusted OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.48). Most 15D dimensions declined with increasing frailty, except distress. For OHIP-14, significant associations were observed for functional limitation, physical pain, and psychological disability. CONCLUSIONS: Frailty assessed with the CFS was consistently associated with reduced general and oral HRQoL in older adults admitted to a MipAC unit. These findings support the clinical relevance of simple frailty assessment during acute admission and suggest that it may help identify patients at risk of poorer quality of life.

doi.org/10.1016/j.tjfa.2026.100207 Open access PubMed 42891948 Populations